A Spanish province is bringing in laws aimed at eliminating bullfighting by the back door despite opposition from the country’s government and constitutional court in Madrid, which has ruled that the practice is a protected part of “common cultural heritage”.
The Balearic Islands, which include popular holiday destinations such as Majorca, Minorca, and Ibiza, tried to ban the bloodsport in 2016 but was stopped in its tracks after Spain’s constitutional court ruled that local provinces do not have the power to stop the practice.
Spain’s conservative Partido Popular (PP) government in 2013 declared the practice a cultural asset, allowing it to draw on public funds – a move most Spanish people
oppose, according to opinion polls.
New tough rules on the transport, origin, age, and weight of bulls; a ban on both slaughter and return to ranches after fighters, and a strict requirement for full veterinary inspections are also aimed at effectively eliminating the practice, which has taken place in Spain for centuries. The rules will be enforced by fines of up to €100,000.
Animal cruelty NGOs welcomed the new approach, with one saying the new laws would relegate the “torture of bulls for public entertainment” to “the annals of history” in the province. It remains to be seen what the exact effect of the law will be on the availably of bullfights, however.
Bullfighting currently takes place in three rings in Mallorca; at Alcudia, Muro and Palm – but the sport is very much a minority pursuit in 21st century Spain. An Ipsos MORI poll of Spanish citizens conducted for the Humane Society International found that only 29 per cent of the country’s population support bullfighting, and that three-quarters had not attended a fight in the last five years.
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